South Florida Crime

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A police officer mistakenly fired his rifle Wednesday morning while in a Miami courthouse in front of a judge.

A Miami-Dade Police Officer, according to police, was demonstrating a scenario to a judge during a training exercise on the 30th floor of the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when he accidentally fired a single shot from his department-issued rifle, an AR-15.

The bullet hit the floor, leaving a hole about the size of a fingertip in the carpet near a sofa in the hallway.

No one was hurt. In fact, several people in the building at the time told CBS4 they didn’t even hear the shot.

A sign in the courthouse lobby warns law enforcement officers to secure their firearms in gun lockers if they’re there on personal business.

The cop in this instance was there on official training business

Police say there’s nothing unlawful or against policy about him having his weapon.

But questions remain, including “Why was the gun loaded during training?” and “Should the safety have been on at the time”?

Police have not yet released the name of the officer who fired the gun.